So much to do, so little time

The journal tucked in between the Chicken Soup books on the shelf in my bedroom has been lonely for awhile.

It’s an ordinary book with no attention-getting frills so it is often overlooked.

I got it for my college graduation to safely store a list of things I want to accomplish in my lifetime. I’ve added several items over the past 20 years.

For those who saw the 2007 movie with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, it’s my “Bucket List.”

They may not all be written in the pages of a blank book like mine is but I bet everyone has a to-do list with slight variations of the places they wish to travel and the things they hope to one day experience.

My list is pretty broad and includes some items that are attainable goals and some which are pipe dreams.

It ranges from “see the Northern Lights” to “learn to play guitar” and “ride in a helicopter (not on a flight-for-life).”

I was excited, almost giddy, when I read through my list the other day. There were two things I was able to mark off since the last time I visited the book.

In October 2007, I rode in a hot air balloon and in July 2009, I saw the Grand Canyon.

I’ve got plenty left to do. Here’s a sample: Walk in the ocean, write a book, learn to take a compliment, sit on a jury, see British Columbia in the spring, go on a cruise, earn a master’s degree, spend a week in a beach house, own a successful business, make a difference, visit the New England states when the colors change, help another person cross an item off his or her “bucket list,” spoil my grandchildren. (That last one can certainly wait!)

If you haven’t got a list already, grab a piece of scratch paper and jot down a few things you’d like to achieve before you kick the bucket. Putting them on paper gives you extra incentive to go after them.

I may not get every item marked off my own list but I’m sure going to enjoy the ride while I try.

Life is simply too short not to chase the dream and as George Bernard Shaw said, “I want to be thoroughly used up when I die.”

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